Betty and Veronica #1

Summary: “It’s Betty vs. Veronica! The most highly-anticipated debut in comics history is here! Betty and Veronica are America’s sweethearts – until they turn on each other! Pops’ Chocklit Shoppe is being taken over by a huge coffee company. When Betty and Veronica go head-to-head over the issue, all bets are off! Friendships will shatter. Cities will burn. Nails will be broken. Betty and Veronica are back in this all-new #1 from comics legend Adam Hughes (Wonder Woman, Catwoman,Before Watchmen: Dr. Manhattan)!”

I was really excited for this comic! I’ve enjoyed pretty much every new Archie comic, and although I did like this one, I really can’t say much about it besides “ehh.”

The art style of this particular comic is different from the other comics, but it’s okay at best. When the art is bad, it’s really bad. Some of the facial expressions are really weird and though the artist tries to make them appear a bit realistic, it doesn’t work for everyone every time. Luckily, Archie Comics usually changes their artist after a few comic issues, so this likely won’t be a permanent problem.

As far as the story is concerned, the plot involves a small town store (Pop’s) vs a big corporation store (owned by Veronica’s father). The story is average but it will be interesting to see which side the characters ultimately choose – the small town store or the big name store.

The writer should have named this comic Betty vs Veronica, as I have a feeling this whole comic series will end up pitting the two against each other.

Strangely enough, the story is told through the perspective of Jughead’s dog, Hot Dog. It’s really weird.

I’m hoping this comic does not end up being very cliche.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey Rebirth

Summary: ““WHO IS ORACLE” Chapter One: Batgirl and Black Canary are together again, working a case that strikes right at the heart of their partnership! Someone’s uncovered the greatest secret Barbara Gordon ever kept: her time as Oracle, the most powerful hacker on the planet. And not only do they know her secret, they’re using her name to sell dangerous information to criminals! Now one of those deals has brought some major heat to Gotham City…Helena Bertinelli is out of Spyral, wearing the hood of the Huntress, and making mafia blood run in the streets! Everything you thought was hidden will be revealed if the Oracle has their way…”

I wasn’t sure how much I was going to like this comic, but I ended up really liking this story.

I don’t really know much about Batgirl, Oracle, Black Canary, or Huntress, but I have a good friend that everyone calls Babs, so I really wanted to learn about the character.

The comic delves into character background information that a newcomer still might not fully understand, but is not dumbed-down.

So far I really like both Huntress and Black Canary. I’m a sucker for female led comics, so I have a feeling that I will be really liking this series.

A-Force #7

Summary: “After narrowly escaping a grisly death at the hands of one of their own, a weary but determined A-FORCE make bold moves to free NICO and the town from Countess’s control. However, saving the day is going to take more than just super-powered punches. A-FORCE is going to have to go deeper than that – changing Countess’s very mind – which is not exactly something super villains readily embrace. Meanwhile, developments with the team’s sparkly THOR rock A-FORCE to the core.”

The art is a little inconsistent in this issue.

Some of the panels have Medusa looking a bit thicker than usual. Though it’s no skin off my bones since I’m always looking for comics with bigger characters, this could be an issue for people who like consistency. But in general, the art style is still very enjoyable.

This was a Dazzler and Thor focused comic, and I ended up enjoying it a lot. This incarnation of Thor slightly looks like Dazzler, so it’s interesting to see the interactions between the two. Dazzler was even allowed to pick up Thor’s hammer, which was awesome to see!

Thor ultimately ends up leaving the comic (bummer), but it was still good!

Batman #3

Summary: ““I AM GOTHAM” Chapter Three: Batman and Gotham strike out together to get to the bottom of the mysterious attacks against the city. Could this novel and headstrong new hero be everything Gotham City needs…at the cost of the Dark Knight?”

This comic focused mainly on Gotham and Gotham Girl’s backstory, which is supposed to be a bit of a secret, but is very obvious.

We learn that Gotham (also known as Hank) was out with his parents when they were tragically killed. Batman obviously lost his parents in the same way, and this common tragedy ultimately unites them as partners. Strangely enough, Gotham Girl (also known as Claire) gets vivid nightmares about Hank’s partners dying, even though she wasn’t there. It simply doesn’t make sense.

I really didn’t like how quickly Gotham and Batman teamed up. I was hoping for a friendly rivalry, but since both of them want to protect the city for the same reason, I understand why teaming up is a good idea. Even so, a rivalry would have made for a much more interesting story line.

Justice League #1

Summary:” “THE EXTINCTION MACHINE” Chapter One The oceans rise. The earth quakes. And an ancient power rises to reclaim not just the world, but the universe itself—and not even the combined might of the Justice League can stop it. An all-new era begins with this epic by comic book legend Bryan Hitch (JLA, The Ultimates) and master storyteller Tony S. Daniel (BATMAN: R.I.P., DEATHSTROKE). ”

I’ve been very bored with Justice League, with this issue in particular being a struggle to finish.

I found it difficult to wrap my head around the fact that a whole team of super-powered people are up against what seems to be naturally occurring phenomenons. How is the entire Justice League supposed to stop an earthquake? That makes no sense to me.

Though I was infuriated and confused by this issue, it was still visually nice to look at. Very boring, but still eye candy.

Archie #10

Summary:“It’s Team Archie vs. Team Betty! A civil war has broken out in Riverdale — friends against friends, parents against parents, with the entire town torn down the middle by an event that forces everyone to take sides! No joke — the events of this issue will impact Archie and his pals for some time to come!”

I cried reading this comic. Not a good cry, but a sad, hurtful cry. That’s how furious I was at Archie after reading this issue.

Allow me to explain.

Betty approaches Archie and finally has the nerve to ask him why he likes Veronica more than her. His reason? Veronica is more confident in who she is than Betty is.

Archie made this conclusion from the #LipstickIncident (I still hate typing this!), but he doesn’t know Betty’s side of the story. Even though the pair had been together for a long time, Betty apparently doesn’t know what Archie wants in a girl. He says that she’s kind of flip floppy (please hold for irony), which makes Betty cry, which made me cry.

Betty didn’t deserve that comment and they both know it. Based on Archie‘s past pandering, we’re either going to get a lot of “Wow. What’s her problem? #GirlProbs, am I right, teen market?” or the situation is going to get ignored completely. I haven’t figured out which is worse yet.

This is literally the third modern Archie comic where Archie is a jerk with little-to-no comeuppance.

To make matters worse, Archie Comics is desperately trying to scrape plot points together by bringing up the fact that Mr. Lodge (Veronica’s father) is running for mayor. Mr. Collier, a mean teacher who quits after Archie posts a video of him getting mad at a student, is also running for mayor, and by the way, he’s Betty’s uncle! The whole thing smells of a Democrat vs Republican debate, with Mr. Collier being a democrat and Mr. Lodge being a republican. The plot was extremely boring for a comic book.

Wonder Woman #3

Summary: ““THE LIES” Chapter Two: Wonder Woman must team up with one of her greatest enemies to solve a growing mystery about Themyscira as “The Lies” continues!”

As I get further into the Wonder Woman comics, I’ve come to the realize that I don’t really like the plot of this comic. It’s slow, boring, and it can be summed up with this video:

The plot of this comic is literally my least favorite way to get background out to new readers. I understand when it comes casually or if a whole comic is dedicated to it in a not-so-subtle way, but this comic was in your face with character background, and get it out of here before the reader gets sleepy.

The only saving grace of this comic, besides the art itself, is the characterization of Wonder Woman. She’s very levelheaded and understanding. She is confused by her past and not sure what the truth is, and therefore could have very easily been written as a very overreacting woman. It’s a very nice change of pace to see an overemotional stereotypical woman not leading a role in a comic.

Jughead #8

Summary:“It’s Jughead vs. Archie and Mr. Weatherbee vs…a bear?!! Even the quiet of the wilderness can’t escape the madness that’s raging through all of Riverdale!”

This is the last Jughead comic written by Chip Zdarsky. I really liked his version of Jughead and it’s sad to see him leave, but from the interviews that I was reading, eight Jughead comics were his intention all along.

Either way, I can’t complain.

Jughead time and time again ends up being one of the best comics I read all month, and this issue is definitely no exception. this issue has a cute ending to a short story line, a good character arc for someone who is not usually considered a main character (spoiler alert: it’s Mr. Weatherbee), and finally, FINALLY, someone calls out Archie.

So Archie finally gets called out, and by Jughead no less. Archie flat-out calls Jughead “not normal” for being asexual, which Jughead doesn’t allow him to get away with. I don’t understand how comic writers can make their main character so unlikable without any actions for their consequences, but I’m glad that Archie has finally been told to knock it off.

Hopefully this will last.

Titans #1

Summary:“After an old ally returns to the team, the Titans set their sights on a dangerous enemy with the power to change reality itself! But the Titans have never faced a threat this massive before, and with so much on the line, will they be able to stand united as a team? Or will their past mistakes be their undoing?”

This comic is the perfect example of how to do an exposition well.

The Titans are trying to find out more about Wally, and although this mission isn’t a huge part of the storyline, it wasn’t skipped over quickly like it was in Batman. Linda still knows who Wally is and is trying to exploit him, which is a really…terrible. We also get to see the reveal of Abra Kadabra.

The art style still looks pretty good, minus Linda, who’s proportions I found to be very questionable. The weird thing is if you compare the art style of this comic to Nightwing, Grayson looks better in this one. I could actually tell that he was suppose to look human, unlike in his comic where he looks like someone tried to draw Nightwing as Superman and couldn’t draw either of them very well.

Nightwing #1

Summary:““BETTER THAN BATMAN” Chapter One: Batman taught Nightwing everything he knows—but what if everything he taught him is wrong? When Dick is stuck with a new mentor who challenges everything Batman taught him, Nightwing has to shatter his concept of justice in order to fight for what he knows is right. Writer Tim Seeley (GRAYSON, BATMAN & ROBIN ETERNAL) launches Nightwing onto a new quest alongside rising talent Javier Fernandez (RED HOOD/ARSENAL).”

The art style is a bit wonky here, especially in regards to Dick and Bruce. Bruce looks more like Dick than Dick does, and that’s how you know the artists have failed. Batgirl (Barbara) looks good and Damien looks good, but Dick doesn’t look human.

To be honest, the story was a bit hard to follow. The issue opens up with Dick talking over a circus acrobat routine and it looks like it’s going to get into his backstory but no, he’s just…there? It then turns out he’s working for this secret organization and gets paired up with Raptor, making him a sidekick again? Barbara was there too for some reason?

Let’s see how this plays out in my next review (which is in this article)!

Batgirl Rebirth

Summary:““Beyond Burnside” Chapter One: The Batgirl you know and love is going global with Eisner Award-winning and New York Times best-selling writer Hope Larson (A Wrinkle in Time, Goldie Vance) and all-star artist Rafael Albuquerque (AMERICAN VAMPIRE). In order to up her game, Babs travels to Japan on a quest to train with the most elite modern combat masters of the East. But when a chance meeting with an old friend puts a target on her back, Batgirl may need to use her new skills to solve a deadly mystery.”

I wasn’t sure how I was going to like Batgirl since I don’t know much about her, but I’m liking her more and more as I see her throughout these comics.

This was a really amazing first comic because she was backpacking to Japan and readers get to see her be a little normal. She even gets to meet her idol, Fruit Bat, and fight along side her. The story made her more human and it made her seem more real as a character.

This is only the beginning of this series, so I hopefully will have more to say when I review the next issue!

Sherlock: A Study in Pink #3

Summary: “The three-patch problem of A Study In Pink continues to unravel, in this thrilling manga adaptation of the smash-hit SHERLOCK TV series! John is pulled into a web of deceit, as he comes face-to-face with the man who describes himself as Sherlock’s “arch-enemy” – and Sherlock sets a trap for a serial murderer!”

This is a filler comic (at least when compared to the television series), but it does introduce a new character: Mycroft. If I didn’t know the episode this issue was based on like the back of my hand, or if the comic was the only way I’d learn about the story, I imagine it would be pretty boring.

Once again, the medium is wrong for the jokes that are being made. I noticed this with Anthea and John in the car where it’s more apparent that John is a bit of lady’s man and is trying to flirt with her in the show than in the comic. The other scene where this is apparent is when John and Mycroft are in the parking garage fixture meeting for the first time and John says, “Well thank God you’re above all that”. In the scene, you can clearly see how annoyed Mycroft was at being compared to Sherlock.

Speaking of Mycroft, he looks nothing like the actor who portrays him in the BBC series, Mark Gatiss. I finally have figured out the reason why, and it’s the same reason why John doesn’t always look like Martin Freeman: wrinkles would look terrible in a drawing! Gatiss and Freeman have face wrinkles that make their faces look like them and when you bring those features into a comic medium, the end result isn’t pretty.

Justice League #2

Summary:““The Extinction Machine” part two! Massive earthquakes shake cities to the ground as the ancient intelligence known as the Awakened takes control of the people of Earth, forcing them to turn against anyone with superpowers—including the Justice League! Unable to fight a war on two fronts, Batman asks for help from the one man he trusts less than anyone.”

This comic will never cease to confuse me. Now all the places in the world are dealing with natural disasters and the entire Justice League has to take care of it. At one point, and this is the point where I lose my mind, they decided they can’t solve this whole thing without Superman, who apparently needs to go to the center of the Earth to stop all of this.

That’s not how anything works, but alright!

On top of this, the new Green Lanterns don’t know their powers yet. I’m not reading the Green Lantern comic series, so please, can someone can inform me why are they there if they don’t know their powers yet? Shouldn’t there be a grace period for them to figure out what they can do before trying to save the entire world? I don’t know.

That’s just my thinking.

Nightwing #2

Summary:““Better than Batman” part two! Nightwing and his new mentor Raptor embark on their first assignment for the Parliament of Owls. Will Raptor prove himself a superior mentor for Nightwing? Or will they both fall prey to the fangs of Kobra?”

I do like that this comic and Batgirl‘s are kind of coming together (plot-wise) and I hope that that will make both comics really interesting. It was interesting when Barbara invited Dick out for a date, only to be stood up so Dick could help Raptor. We’ll have to see how this turns out later!

The plot line with Raptor and Nightwing already has the makings for a huge cliche that I know will be coming into fruition: two polar opposite characters that have nothing in common will soon realize that they are one-in-the-same and will soon become best friends.

It’s going to happen, it’s not clever in hiding it, and I’m waiting for it.

Summary:“CIVIL WAR II TIE-IN! Civil War has come to A-FORCE! As the team is wrecked by a personal tragedy things only get worse when a predictive vision proclaims one of A-FORCE is a murderer. CAPTAIN MARVEL attempts an arrest, creating a rift that may very well mean the end of the team, and setting in motion a chain of devastating events that affect far more than just A-FORCE. Meanwhile foul-mouthed, gun-toting ELSA BLOODSTONE just unofficially joined A-Force. Looks like we’re gonna need a bigger boat…and a verrrrry big black censor bar.”

I haven’t read Civil War II so this comic was a little bit confusing. I’m not sure what the whole issue is that they are fighting over (even though it was kind of explained), and I wish they didn’t bring the drama into A-Force.

Much like with the other comics in this pullbox, I really enjoyed the female characters. There were a few new ones introduced, such as Elsa and Misty Knight, who both have prosthetic arms like Nico. I think it’s really awesome that they have such diversity.

When it comes to the story in general, it’s okay, but if you haven’t read Civil War II, you will be as confused as I am. The story is basically that She-Hulk is in the hospital and they don’t know if she’s going to make it. Dazzler and Captain Marvel are arguing and Nico runs away and messes up shit with the Runaways.

I’m hoping that I’ll be getting more into this as the comic goes on.

Batman #4

Summary:““I Am Gotham” part four. When Gotham City falls prey to true evil, will Batman be abandoned by the new heroes Gotham and Gotham Girl? The Dark Knight must decide who to entrust with the safety of his beloved city if he hopes for any of its citizens to survive.”

I am not shocked at all that Gotham is evil and ends up killing twenty eight people (as well as ruining the Batmobile). This is the beginning of an evil plot between the two (something I mentioned earlier in the pullbox that I wanted), but this was suppose to be a shock. How? You can clearly see from the beginning the distrust between Batman and Gotham, you can see Gotham being distant, and now Batman is going to pay the consequence for it.

The only positive is the art style, which still looks really nice and has everyone looking like who they are suppose to. Though the background stories are really nice, the art style was the only redeeming feature of this comic.

Disney Princess #5

Summary: “The hit series continues! Disney’s beloved heroines have returned in this hilarious collection of Disney Princess comic strips! Featuring laugh-out-loud stories from the worlds of Ariel, Belle, Rapunzel, Tiana, Cinderella, Aurora, and more, this charming ongoing series will make all your royal dreams come true.”

There is a large variety of stories in this comic, so in favor of time, I’ll only be reviewing my favorites.

Mushu’s Review was really cute! The story is about Mulan’s ancestors giving Mushu a performance review in regards to his guardian job. If he does really poorly, he will no longer be a guardian and will be forced to work for the ancestors again (like in the beginning of Mulan). The art is really cute in this story and I really liked it. I have put Mulan down during every single issue review of this comic, but her stories are usually the best and are definitely cute.

Travel Cat is a Jasmine comic. Jasmine is trying to pack for a vacation, but Rajah keeps climbing into her suitcases to stop her from leaving. I really like the more realistic comics where it makes the princesses seem more like actual humans with real lives. I’m not shocked that Rajah is acting like a typical house cat, but I did love the fact that it took Aladdin and Jasmine pretending to be lovey-dovey to get the chaos to stop.

Belle and Maurice is a Belle comic (obvious). Belle’s father’s invention doesn’t work in the way he wants it, so she finds a unique way to use it. It’s very cute, albeit short, but I really liked it.

Beauty and the Books is yet another Belle comic, and this time Belle decides to have everyone help her organize the library. I really love this comic – all the different ways they try to organize the library is really cute and I could relate to it. It’s so hard to decide what’s the best way to organize bookshelves!

For the record, mine are all by height.

Wonder Woman #4

Summary: ““Wonder Woman Year One” part two! Paradise has been breached, Ares stirs, and the Amazons must answer with a champion of their own…one who is willing to sacrifice her home amongst her sisters to save a world she has never seen.”

I prefer this story line over the one in the forest – the art style is more unique and the story is much easier to follow.

The art has that Greek art feel to it, and even when it’s clear that the characters aren’t part of the human world, they somehow look human.

I really liked that the writer highlighted that Diana, aka Wonder Woman, is a very strong warrior. She beats the other women to be the one to bring Steve back into the regular world.

Diana’s mom gives her the Lasso of Truth in this issue, and I can’t wait to see what happens next!

Powerpuff Girls #2

Summary: “A hotshot movie director claims that his new movie is so scary, even THE POWERPUFF GIRLS will be too chicken to watch it! Never ones to back down from a challenge, fall into his trap! Using his “movie magic,” he’ll turn the girls into actual chickens so he’ll be free to enact his evil plans! Can the ChickenPuff Girls save the day?!”

Story-wise, this comic was pretty weird. I was worried that this issue was going to be television-focused again, but as it turns out, the story was more or less just an excuse to use a bunch of chicken and egg related puns.

The art is still really cute – even when the girls are chickens. The new art style still is better in a comic medium, so maybe if the new show doesn’t do well, the story could go there.

Basically, the girls get scared while seeing a trailer for a scary movie on TV. The guy who directed the movie calls them out and says that they’re too chicken to see it and turns them into chickens so he can make an omelette restaurant. It’s a weird plot, but it’s also more aimed at children so not everything has to make sense.

I still kind of liked it and can’t wait for the next issue.

Nightwing #3

Summary: ““Better than Batman” part three! Nightwing and Raptor have become the pride of the Parliament of Owls, successfully completing missions for them across the globe—but Batgirl is not happy. Can she convince Nightwing he’s gone too far, or has he fallen too far under Raptor’s influence?”

The story in this one really tries to immediately pull at the heartstrings, but this tactic wouldn’t work unless you were reading Batgirl as well.

The only person I feel bad for in this issue is Barbara, and whether that’s the intention or not, people might not feel this way if they haven’t read her comic and gotten to know her.

Babs immediately wants to beat Raptor up and is actually worried about Dick since she wasn’t sure if he was alive or not. I really like characters that seem human (as I’ve said before) and Barbara honestly is the most human character I’ve ever read out of the Batman series (well, besides Alfred). It’s really heartwarming to see her fears play out.

In the end though, Bab’s feelings don’t really mean that much to Dick since he’s still going to be working with Raptor – something she didn’t want – and he ignored her wishes to stop it and go back to Batman. That’s what irritates me about Nightwing: sometimes he’s too stubborn for his own good, but it’s part of what makes him a multilayered character.

Batman #5

Summary: ““I Am Gotham” part five. In the final chapter of this epic, is Batman truly the hero Gotham City deserves—or does it deserve better? In this ultimate showdown, where the line between allies and enemies blurs, the question will finally be answered…and the fate of Gotham will be decided.”

Oh Batman, please don’t start disappointing me.

This issue started off interesting. Alfred dressed up as Batman to distract Gotham and I kind of wanted him to fight Gotham himself. He was only a distraction, but I can have dreams.

The story is okay up until the point where Batman has to call the Justice League to help him out to defeat Gotham and Task Force X. I do not understand why he had to resort to back up…is Batman that incapable of doing things on his own? Does he always need Superman’s help now? Was that in an issue and I just missed it or something?

The art is great as usual, but the story is…all over the place. I’m going to keep reading, but I’ll be confused and bewildered.

Batgirl and the Birds of Prey #1

Summary: ““Who Is Oracle?” part one! Someone has stolen the name Oracle right out of Barbara Gordon’s past! Hot on this false Oracle’s trail, Batgirl, Black Canary, and Huntress are all tracking the same mafia capo…so it makes sense to team up, right? Problem is, Barbara and Dinah need the secrets locked up in Oracle’s brain…and Helena Bertinelli would rather put a crossbow bolt right through it!”

If A-Force becomes too confusing for me, I might stick only to this comic for my girl team needs.

I like all three women (even though one of them is suppose to be the “bad guy”), and I really like the current plot and the art style.

The art makes all the girls look beautiful, and the colors and outfits highlights the differences between the characters. Though the art is a bit similar to most of the Rebirth styles, it still works really well with these characters. I think Huntress is really gorgeous, especially with all that purple.

I particularly enjoyed that they are all after the same goal: trying to find out who Oracle is.

I’m really excited to see where this story goes.

Justice League #3

Summary: ““The Extinction Machine” part three! The hive-mind entities known as the Awakened take their vendetta against the Justice League to the next level by changing ordinary people into grotesque monsters bent on hunting down super-humans all over the world. Meanwhile, Superman journeys to the center of the earth to stop the catastrophic quakes that are taking lives all over the world.”

At this point, the plot is no longer just about an impending natural disaster. Superpowered enemies who embody different disasters appear, and once again, the Justice League has to save everything.

Superman is still going to the center of the Earth to stop the chaos, but the best part about that is he doesn’t even know what to do. They send Superman of all people and he doesn’t know what to do.